Clawhauser's Care
by TheMonocerus
Summary: When Clawhauser finds Nick troubled by something, he takes it upon himself to try and help. - - Reviews are greatly appreciated! - -
1. Chapter 1

Another early morning at the ZPD. Officer Benjamin Clawhauser was behind the reception desk, halfway through his breakfast - which, today, consisted of a bowl of Lucky Chomps and the predictable half-dozen doughnuts - getting ready for another slow day. Ever since the night howler case had been solved, the headquarters had returned to its far-less-busy self.

Clawhauser liked that, since it allowed him more time to do what he liked. Plus, it also meant that he wasn't stuck down in Records. While it was nice to not have visitors and officers constantly filing in and out of the HQ, the cheetah loved his job, the talking to others and animal-watching especially.

His round ears twitched a bit as he heard a soft push on the revolving door at the building's entrance. He looked up to see Officer Nick Wilde strolling in. Another reason Clawhauser loved his job was because of his fellow officers, who were also some of his closest friends. While not everyone bothered to talk to him, the ones that did were always very nice and helped him if he needed it.

Taking his mind off of those thoughts, Clawhauser watched Nick for a little, and his smile slowly faltered.

The fox was there almost an half hour early. He was _never_ there that early, and nearly always just barely made it into the bullpen before Chief Bogo. In addition, he seemed to be behaving a bit strangely. His usual smirk was replaced with a small frown, his ears were slightly flattened, and his bushy tail hung lower to the floor than usual.

Clawhauser watched as Nick strolled over to a low wall surrounding a planter, turned around, and leaned his back against it, staring idly at the floor. He looked like he was lost in thought, and, judging by his expression, something was troubling him.

The cheetah watched from the front desk for a little while more, trying to figure out why his friend was acting like this. He then decided that it was time to take matters into his own paws.

"Hey, Nick!" Clawhauser called, giving the fox a cheery wave and a huge smile. Nick looked up and his expression changed, his smirk reappearing and his tail curling a bit, though his ears remained where they were. "Heya, Claw." he replied as he strode to the desk casually.

"You're in early." the cheetah remarked, his tail curling a bit behind him.

"Yeah, I.. didn't get much sleep last night. I was up around five." Nick replied, leaning against the desk. Even though he couldn't pick up on some things, Clawhauser wasn't fooled by Nick's lie, though he didn't want to accuse him directly.

"Is everything okay? You didn't look too happy when you came in here." he asked, searching Nick's expression. He noticed that his ears flicked a bit and his sly smile quivered slightly.

"Headache. I think that's why I couldn't sleep. That, or I'm dreading the work Buffalo Butt's gonna give me today." the fox joked, his smirk returning.

Something was definitely bothering him, and Clawhauser wasn't going to let it go until he learned if there was anything he could do to help.

Time to stop beating around the bush.

"You wouldn't lie to me, right Nick?" he asked seriously, putting on his most innocent voice as he looked down at him.

Nick looked a bit taken aback. "No.. Why would I lie to you, Claw?" he then asked, his smile gone yet again. Clawhauser didn't respond, but continued looking down at Nick with puppy-dog eyes. After a few moments of staring back, the fox broke.

"Okay, okay, fine. I might not be telling the complete truth." he said with a sigh, his ears drooping further as he looked away, his usual sly attitude gone completely now.

"It's okay, you can tell me.." Clawhauser said gently, his ears perking up a bit. "Are you feeling sick? Stressed out? Angry?"

The fox let out another sigh before looking back up at him. "It's just… I don't know how to feel about Carrots."

"Judy?" the cheetah asked, his curiosity and concern increasing. "Did something happen?"

"No, just.." Nick paused, closing his eyes for a moment, "I.. I don't know what she thinks of me. I know we're partners and all but.. I feel like we could be something more."

"You're afraid she might not like you as much as you like her?" Clawhauser prompted, getting a nod from the fox. "Pretty much. I don't want to ask because what if she doesn't want to be more than friends? What if she thinks I'm weird for suggesting that?" Nick was gazing up at him, a helpless look about him.

Clawhauser considered his options, noticing the rest of the police force starting to arrive. He then looked back at Nick.

"How about this: You come over and we'll talk about this more, alright?" he suggested, giving him a kind smile. He wanted to help the fox with his problems and unfortunately they wouldn't have much time left before Nick had to go into the bullpen.

Nick considered this for a while before nodding. "Sure." he said, giving the cheetah a rare genuine smile in return, his pointy ears perking up a bit.

Clawhauser gave Nick his address and apartment number, and told him that he was welcome to come when he wanted, as long as he was given a warning prior.

Just then, Judy hopped in, her usual cheerful self. She greeted the two of them and followed the others into the room. Nick thanked Clawhauser and left to accompany her, leaving the cheetah to think about how he'll help the fox deal with his emotions, smiling as he thought of some advice to give him.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day went normally, Clawhauser spending his spare time thinking of Nick's problem. He went home and cleaned up his apartment a bit in preparation. It wasn't until around eight that Nick texted him, saying that he was on his way and that he'd be there around nine thirty since he was walking.

At about nine fifty, Clawhauser heard a knock on his door. Opening it revealed Nick in his normal clothes, smirking up at the cheetah. "Hey, Claw."

"Hi, Nick! Come in!" Clawhauser replied excitedly, moving out of the way and opening the door fully. The fox sauntered into the apartment, looking around. The cheetah liked to keep a clean home even though he didn't really get guests often. Although most of the merchandise of his idol, Gazelle, was in his bedroom, there were still a few magazines containing her picture on their front pages that were lying on the kitchen table There were a decorations hung on the walls, a 2016 'City of Zootopia' calendar by the front door, and two boxes of doughnuts on the kitchen counter.

"Nice place." the fox commented, his tail flicking a bit.

"Thanks! Want something to drink?" he asked, moving to his fringe and opening it. "Water? Tea? Soda? I don't have beer or wine or anything.."

"Water's fine." replied Nick.

The cheetah retrieved a water bottle and a soda for himself. He took the drinks over to the living room area and sat on the couch, which creaked a bit under his weight. He gave the water to Nick as the fox sat in the armchair on the other side of the coffee table.

"So, wanna start?" Clawhauser finally asked after they had both made themselves comfortable.

"Well.. There's so much to say.. Where do I even begin?" Nick asked, making a weak movement with his paws, his ears drooping a little more as his sly demeanor slipped away, leaving behind a nervous, stressed, confused fox.

"How about we start with your feelings. What does Judy mean to you?" Clawhauser then prompted.

"She… She means the world to me. I don't think I could meet anyone I could trust more. She's always there for me and checks up on me almost every day. She's tough and smart and kind, and she's great on the force. Plus, she's just.. adorable." Clawhauser could sense that he had avoided calling her 'cute', the word being an insult to most bunnies.

"She has amazing eyes and her fur is so soft, and her voice.. It's gentle and smooth when it needs to be, but - I'm serious - she could intimidate the toughest of polar bears when she yells."

"If something's dragging her down, she shakes it off. I think.. that's what I like most about her. She never gives up and keeps trying until she gets what she wants, and she's always willing to help others do the right thing.."

Nick went on like this for almost six minutes. Clawhauser couldn't help but smile a bit, though he was squealing in joy internally because Nick gushing about Judy was one of the most precious things he'd ever seen. Finally, Nick caught himself pushing seven minutes and stopped talking, a faint blush on his face. "Sorry, I just really like her." he said, clearly embarrassed.

"It's okay, no need to be sorry!" Clawhauser then said, smiling at the fox. "But I can see that you don't just like her, you're _way_ in love~"

This made Nick sigh softly, as if his fears had been confirmed. "I.. I am. I'm in love. I'm in love with Carrots and I don't know what to do about it."

Clawhauser giggled softly at the confession, then took a sip of his drink. "Well, what do you do to show her how you feel?"

"I compliment her and I sometimes bring her some of her favorite foods when we hang out, and I comfort her when she gets upset, but I don't think that's enough to get the message across."

"Hm.. I think you should just tell her."

Nick looked up at Clawhauser, clearly running this through his brain.

"Tell her what you just told me. Try to keep it to, like, a minute, though." the cheetah then teased.

"You think that'll work?" the fox asked, too deep in thought to care about the jab. "What if I just make her feel weird? What if she decides to stop hanging out with me?"

"Nick, th-"

"What if she drops me as her partner?"

"Nick."

"What if she stops talking to me?"

" **Nick.** "

"What if she quits the force because she can't stand being around-"

" _ **Wilde!**_ "

The shout from his usually composed friend jerked the fox out of his thoughts, focusing back on the cheetah across from him.

Clawhauser sighed. "Nick, you're being ridiculous. First, you and I both know that even if Judy lost all of her limbs, she'd still try everything in her power stay on the force, so I don't think she'll quit just because you tell her your feelings. Second, you're over thinking. Personally, I think she might be feeling the same things about you, because I've seen how she looks at you when you joke around, and how her face lights up when she sees you, and how _happy_ she is to be around you."

Nick stared at his friend as he talked, seemingly just realising this now.

"I think you just need to try. Judy's not gonna stop being friends with you unless you _really_ do something awful."

They sat in silence for a while as Nick thought.

"I can't keep this up, can I?" he asked, more to himself. "I have to tell her."

The cheetah nodded, glad that Nick was finally getting it.

"I'll… I'll do it tomorrow," he then said, "I'll tell her tomorrow."

He sighed and rubbed his eyes, sitting back. Clawhauser noticed how tired he looked.

"I just… I just hope it'll go well.." the fox said after taking a drink.

Clawhauser rolled his eyes, getting tired of the constant worrying. He then opened his arms wide and bent down as much as he could. "Come here, Nick." he then said, offering a reassuring hug. Nick blinked a few times, then smiled weakly and got up, going to the cheetah and hugging his midsection. Clawhauser smiled and hugged him back.

Then, with only a little bit of effort, mainly because he was much larger than Nick and about a foot and a half taller, the cheetah lifted the fox up and hugged him against his chest. Nick was surprised at first, but found himself relaxing into the hold. Clawhauser smiled as he looked down at him, holding him gently against his chest with one paw while starting to softly pet his fur with the other.

"It'll be okay, Nick.. There's no need to worry.. Judy is your best friend, and she's gonna stay that way.." the cheetah said quietly. He started to slowly rub Nick's ears, the fox closing his eyes as he lay on the larger mammal's chest, his ears flicking a little.

"Even if she doesn't feel the same way you do, she'll be very happy you told her… She'll be proud of you for facing your fears.."

Clawhauser kept giving Nick soft encouragement while cuddling him and petting him, the fox completely relaxed against him, clearly enjoying this. They stayed like that for around twenty minutes before the cheetah finally hoisted him up and gently set him down. It took a few moments for Nick to find his footing again.

"Feel better now?" Clawhauser asked, the fox nodding in response. "That was.. That was great. I didn't know I needed that."

The larger predator nodded with a smile. "Glad to help. When you get stressed again, just tell me and we can do this again if you'd like, okay?" Nick nodded, giving the cheetah a genuine smile. "Now, you need to get to bed. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day for you." he said, getting to his feet and moving over to the door, opening it for his friend.

"Thanks, Claw. I'll let you know how it goes." Nick said as he walked out of the apartment, his tail swishing a bit. They exchanged farewells and Clawhauser closed the door, excited about the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

The next afternoon during lunch break, Clawhauser was skimming through a magazine, seeing if there was anything of interest in it, when Nick greeted him.

"Hey, Claw." the fox said, strolling over to the front desk in his uniform and signature smirk.

"Hey, Nick!" Clawhauser responded happily, smiling widely as he put the magazine away.

"I just wanted to say 'thanks' for talking to me yesterday," Nick began, "Your advice really helped."

The cheetah smiled. "No problem, I'm glad I could help out!" He then leaned forward a bit, looking down at the fox. "How'd it go with Judy? Have you told her yet?"

"Well, thanks to you, Carrots and I have a date next Tuesday." Nick replied, his smile getting wider and a proud tone making itself apparent in his voice.

"Aw, that's great, Nick!" Clawhauser exclaimed excitedly, his tail curling behind him. He would have hugged him if the desk wasn't between them. "You're gonna have a great time with her, I know it!"

Nick nodded in agreement. "She said that she's been wanting to ask me out for a while, but didn't really know how to."

The cheetah giggled softly. "I bet she was relieved when you told her how you felt, then?"

The smaller predator nodded again, grinning. Seeing the fox truly happy like this made Clawhauser excited about Judy and Nick's relationship. It was a nice change from the usual sly attitude he usually went around with.

"Where are you taking her?" Clawhauser then asked, interested.

"A nice restaurant in Tundratown; Beatrice & Woolsley, I think it's called. Judy helped me pick it." replied Nick. "It's a little pricey, but I know a guy who could help with that."

Clawhauser then noticed that lunch break was over, and officers were returning to their work.

"Sounds nice! Tell me how it goes, alright?" he then requested, looking back down at his friend.

"Sure thing. See you, Claw." Nick responded, giving the cheetah a little wave before going over to rejoin Judy. Clawhauser watched them happily for a few moments before getting his magazine back out.

The rest of the day went normally until around six. Clawhauser was at home, on a video-watching session on his laptop, when he received a text from Nick. The message said that he had told Judy about how Clawhauser talked with him and gave him advice, and that Judy wanted to know if the cheetah wanted to hang out with them. Clawhauser smiled and replied, saying that he would, and inviting them over. He then went around and tidied up his apartment, even though it hadn't gotten that messy since the night previous. At around seven, there was a knock on his door.

"Hi, Clawhauser!" Judy exclaimed, beaming up at the cheetah after he had opened the door. Nick was smiling at him next to her, his paws in his pockets.

"Hey Judy! Hey Nick!" the larger predator replied, smiling at the both of them, moving out of the way and opening the door up more. They came in, Judy looking around, commenting on how clean it was.

Clawhauser got them drinks and they sat down in the living room space, him sitting in the armchair this time while Judy and Nick sat on the couch. The cheetah congratulated them on getting together and they talked for a while, about the police force, recent news, and other general things. Eventually, the talk turned back to Judy and Nick's relationship.

"So what's the next step?" Clawhauser asked Judy. The bunny thought a bit about it. "Well, I guess next up is telling my parents.."

The cheetah noticed that neither Judy nor Nick looked too thrilled at the concept. "How do you think that'll go?" he then asked.

"I.. don't know.." Judy said slowly, " I mean, my parents are really nice and all, but they aren't really too fond of foxes.. Well, they _weren't_ , but since I saw them, they seem like they've opened up more." she explained.

"I just think the fact that I'm _dating_ a fox would be a much bigger deal to them."

Clawhauser glanced over to Nick as Judy talked, and noticed that his smile had almost fully disappeared. It seemed that he was almost as nervous about this as she was.

"The rest of my family should be fine, except for maybe a few of my older siblings.."

"I think it'll be fine, Carrots." Nick chimed in, "If they don't like me, they'll come around soon enough."

"Yeah.. I shouldn't be that worried, but.. You know. They're my _family_ , so what they think means a bit more.."

Judy's ears had drooped at this point.

"I don't know, I just want them to be happy." she finished after sighing. Clawhauser glanced at Nick again, the fox looking slightly distressed at the sight of his partner's worrying. Nick glanced back, giving the cheetah a meaningful look.

"..Would you like a hug, Judy?" Clawhauser asked, looking back at the bunny. Judy nodded softly and went over to him, jumping up onto the chair and hugging him, the cheetah hugging back. He gently pet her fur, being more careful than he was with Nick since Judy was significantly smaller.

"I'm sure you're thinking a bit too much about this, Judy.." he said quietly as he rubbed her back. "From what I can tell, your parents don't seem that bad, if they've opened up more like you say they have. I know they love you, so they'll see that you're happy with Nick, even if it takes some time.. When they accept you and him together, the rest of your family will most likely follow suit."

"Carrots, even if they don't agree with you, they still love you just as much as I do." Nick added, giving a small smile to his partner.

Clawhauser nodded. "And if they do start treating you badly, just let me give them a call and talk to them, okay?"

Judy nodded gently, smiling weakly again.

The cheetah continued to cuddle Judy, him and Nick saying comforting things to her to cheer her up, and eventually she was fully relaxed.

"Thank you, guys.. I was just panicking a little.." she said, still lying against Clawhauser.

"No problem, Judy." he said, smiling down at her. "Wanna stay like this for a bit?" he then asked. She nodded wordlessly with a small smile. Clawhauser looked at Nick, who was watching, and smiled more. "Come on, Nick." The fox rolled his eyes a tiny bit, but happily hopped down from the couch, climbing up onto the chair, the cheetah using his free paw to help him up. He cuddled up against Judy, and Clawhauser hugged them both.

"We'll be okay, Carrots." Nick said calmly as he relaxed a bit.

A few minutes of silence passed before it was broken, Judy looking up at Clawhauser.

"This is really nice.." she commented, giving him a small grin, Nick nodding in agreement next to her, his eyes closed.

The cheetah also nodded. "My mom used to do this whenever I was upset and it always helped, so I figured it would work with others."

"You were right." the bunny said, resting her head back down.

The three of them stayed like that for a while until they started to get sleepy and decided it was time to leave. Clawhauser helped them both down and got up, moving over to the door and opening it for them. "I'm always up for doing this again, if you'd like." he said, making sure the two got their drinks from the coffee table.

"I might have to take you up on that offer." Nick commented as the two went out the door, grinning at the cheetah. "Same here," Judy added, "Thanks so much for this, Clawhauser. It really helped."

"Any time." he replied, smiling. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"'Night, Claw." Nick said, Judy waving goodbye as they walked down the hall to the elevator.

Clawhauser watched them for a few moments, then sighed contentedly and closed the door.


End file.
